It’s so amazing to be able to make something from the materials nature gives us. My granddaughter and I, after making needle-felted frogs, felt the need to continue the adventure by creating a little world for them. As our starting point, we chose furniture made from twigs.
It was easy enough to learn the basics from on-line videos. The only materials and supplies needed are twigs (dried for a week or so), clippers, hot glue, and imagination. Here’s our first project – a pair of chairs and a table sized just right!
I think the chairs turned out particularly well because we had some interesting twig parts for the chair backs. Anyway, my eleven year old granddaughter and I had fun making the furniture. We both designed, I cut, and she glued – success! Meanwhile, her seven year old sister was occupied spreading lego and Barbie bits around the room!
Then back at home, in preparation for my next visit with the girls, I made another chair and a bed for my frogs.
I’m worried that the bed is a little flimsy because I don’t find hot glue super great at bonding. But it is useful for this project because it sets so quickly. I’ll probably try to find ways to reinforce it.
Meanwhile, I’d been thinking I’d like to make a dresser with drawers that open. But there’s a basic problem doing so with twigs - their inherent unevenness. In order to open and close, not only the sides of the drawers but also the inner surface of the dresser sides would have to be smooth and parallel – not exactly the twigs’ forte.
But then…
We had the edges of hurricane Debby pass through and it knocked a lot of bark off the huge shagbark oak trees around the house. Just look!
Isn’t it amazing that the pieces can fit together! It’s like putting together a puzzle after gathering the pieces from the yard.
And now I have a potential solution for the dresser drawer problem. My plan is to glue the bark to pieces of 12” x 12” eighth inch thick birch plywood, seal with polyurethane, then cut it to size. The smooth back can be the inside of the furniture. Who know whether or not it will work (the saw might shred it), but it will be fun to try. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, you may have some pretty wonderful natural materials close by. What could you make from them?
P.S. Regardless of how my journey to make more furniture goes, they frogs definitely need bedding and at least a little bit of clothing. I’m on it!
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